


Magic, Intimate, Routine

by derryderrydown



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-09
Updated: 2009-12-09
Packaged: 2017-10-04 07:28:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derryderrydown/pseuds/derryderrydown





	1. Chapter 1

Roy was staring at figures, hoping they'd magically start to make sense, when the breeze hit the back of his neck. He didn't noticeably change his position but now he had a semi-automatic in his hand and he'd turn around as soon as he got some indication of precisely where the intruder was standing.

"Hi."

Only the intruder was Bart. He turned around anyway, spun his gun and rested it on his knee. "I keep on improving the security in this place and people keep wandering in anyway. What do you want?"

"Um. I." Bart jittered in place and it was weird to see Impulse in what was basically Wally's old suit. Only Wally didn't have the boots. Jeez, the _boots_. "I heard you got shot. I came to see how you are."

Roy frowned, puzzled. "That was months ago."

"Well, yeah." Bart said it like it was blatantly obvious. "And, months ago, people were telling me how you were doing. They aren't any more. And that doesn't mean you're _fine_ because it's been, like, two _years_ since I got shot and I still get nightmares."

"Two years? Oh, yeah, subjective time." And the easiest response was to distract Bart from his question. "How's your team going?"

Only he should have known better than to expect a politely dismissive answer. "Weird," Bart said. "I mean, it was weird enough when it was just Gar. He tried to _kill_ me. Us. Only, not really him and I get that but - it _looked_ like him. And now Raven's there, too." Bart bit his bottom lip. "She scares me," he said after a moment. "And I know it's not fair because she's, like, good now. But there's still all this _potential_ and I look at what happened last time and - what if it happens _again_? And she gets Kory and Cassie and everybody?"

Bart actually looked nervous and Roy had never seen it before. So he sat on the temptation to shrug and look blank. "You get a plan together _now_. Before you need it. What happens if, say, Superboy goes bad and you need to bring him down." He half-smiled. "Because I had no damn joy when I tried it."

"Kryptonite," Bart said. He grinned at Roy's look. "We've already discussed it, back in Young Justice. Well, Robin did. And I know Robin's got a plan to stop me if I go all freaky and evil. But I don't know if he had time to plan for the others and now he isn't around, even if he had. And that's got me worried too because he vanished just as Raven came back."

Roy frowned. "That's weird. Nightwing hasn't said anything. I'll ask him next time I see him, see if I can find something out for you?"

"Really?" Bart's face lit up. "That's cool."

"Sure." Roy started putting his gun back together and he felt mean saying it but... "If there's nothing else?"

"You still haven't told me how you are."

"I'm fine."

The old Bart would have just accepted that, if he'd shown any interest at all. The new Bart didn't. "I don't believe you. Because I just got my knee shot off and I kind of freaked and, heh." Bart made a vague gesture that seemed to take in the new suit and the short hair and, dear god, the boots. "But you nearly died and it makes no sense for you to be totally fine when you've only been out the hospital a couple of months. So I don't believe you."

Roy took a deep breath and stared at Bart's boots. "Nightwing pointed a gun at me. I froze. Couldn't do a thing." Why the hell was he telling _Bart_ this?

"What did you do?" Bart asked, eyes wide.

Roy slammed his gun into its holster. "Got over it." He smiled and hoped it wasn't as bitter as it felt. "What else could I do?"

"Really?"

"I'm getting there." He stood up. "Did you look round this place on your way in?"

"Uh-uh." Bart shook his head. "This was the first room I tried and you were here."

"Want the tour?"

* * *

Half an hour later, they were back at Roy's desk.

"Where does Lian sleep?" Bart asked, looking puzzled.

"At home. For most of us, we only sleep here in emergencies."

"Really?" Bart looked confused by this. "But the Titans always lived together. As much as you could."

"This isn't the Titans. We work together - that's it." Roy watched as Bart tried to process it. "Come on. I'm done for the night. Want to grab pizza?"

Bart's face lit up. "Can we have pineapple on it? Jay hates pineapple on pizza so we never get it at home."

"Jay shows taste, which I wouldn't have suspected, given that hat of his. But yeah, we'll have pineapple." He paused on the way out the door. "Do you have civvies?"

"Oh. No." Bart's face fell. "Guess that means no pizza. 'Cause if I go home to get some, Jay won't want me going out again."

It should have been a relief but Roy shrugged. "Nightwing keeps spares here. They'll be falling off you but the only alternative is borrowing from Jade or Indigo and I don't think I want to explain that to Lian."

* * *

Lian was curled up on the sofa next to Ron when they get in. "Daddy!" she yelled and bounced towards him but stopped dead at the sight of Bart. "Hello. I'm Lian."

"Uh. Hi." Bart cast a frantic look at Roy and, despite the amusement potential, Roy decided to rescue him.

He scooped Lian up and buried his face in her hair, despite her giggles of protest. Her hair was still damp from her bath and she smelled so fresh and clean that Roy couldn't help smiling. "And _you_ are due for bed, cupcake."

Lian blew a raspberry and Roy raised an eyebrow. "Do I get a bedtime story?" Lian demanded.

"Ron'll read you a story. I've got a visitor. And we know what that means, don't we?"

"Means I have to share breakfast," Lian said and Roy bit back a grin.

"Not this time, sweetie." He put her down. "Now go. Bed."

"I'll make it a long one," Ron said. "Hi, Bart. Nice to meet you - briefly."

"Is Ron your boyfriend?" Bart asked, once they're alone, and Roy managed not to laugh.

"God, no. He's the nanny." He flipped open the pizza box. "There should be soda in the fridge, if Lian hasn't drunk it all. Why does everyone think I'm gay?"

When Bart turned around from the fridge, he looked flushed. "Would it be a big issue? I mean, if one of your friends was gay?"

"Course not. Why should it be?"

Bart shrugged. "I don't know. But seems like it is a big thing to some people." He looked down. "Even people you don't think it _would_ be an issue to."

And Roy may not be the most intuitive person in the world but this was starting to be pretty damn obvious. "Something you want to tell me?"

"No," Bart said and his brightness sounded artificial even to Roy.

"What time've you got to be back?" Roy asked as he dropped on to the sofa.

"Nine, central." Bart followed suit.

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"What you got?"

Roy glanced at Bart. "How about Jeffrey? It's got Patrick Stewart in and you were into Star Trek." Roy was quite proud of his subtlety - and of his own intelligence in employing a nanny with the world's largest DVD collection. When Bart nodded, he hauled himself over to slide the film in, then settled back with the largest slice of pizza.

Bart made a strange noise at the first mention of sex and Roy had a sudden moment of doubt. "How old are you now?"

"Fifteen-ish. It's difficult to say for sure."

Old enough for an R, Roy decided and relaxed back into the sofa.

Bart started shifting uncomfortably after half an hour. "You didn't tell me it was a _romance_," he said.

"I think of it as a comedy," Roy said.

"Bet it says heart-warming on the box. Bet it's a _romantic comedy_." He sniggered.

Roy caught himself on the edge of assuming a lisp and a simper to defend his masculinity. "Nothing wrong with liking a romantic comedy, if it's a good one," he said instead.

"I thought you'd be into action films."

Roy shook his head. "Too many inaccuracies. They drive me up the wall."

"What do you think of Robin Hood?"

"They're all bad. The only good bit in the Costner thing was Alan Rickman."

"I like Alan Rickman," Bart said after a moment.

"Yeah, he's good. Lian loves the Harry Potter movies and he's the best thing in them."

After a beat, Bart said, "Yeah," then grabbed another slice of pizza.

They got to the end of the film without any more conversation but Roy could feel Bart buzzing next to him and it was off-putting. It was a relief when the credits started to roll and he could gather up the pizza box and empty soda cans. Under Ollie's training, he carefully sorted the recyclables into their different bins.

"How come you can live away from HQ?" Bart asked, leaning on the kitchen counter with Dick's shirt nearly falling off his shoulder. "Because when something hits SF, we need the Titans there right away, and if you all have to commute in, that can't happen, can it?"

"We don't get unexpected stuff. Well, other than Grodd invading that once but we've changed MO since then. We choose who we're going after, then go and get them."

"But if they haven't done anything wrong yet, how come you get them?"

"Some people are _always_ doing something wrong."

"They can change, though. Piper used to be a villain and now he helps out Wally. And Heatwave, too. He's turned good."

"Can you really buy Joker turning to the light side?"

"He _might_." Bart thought about it. "But he'd have to serve out his sentences first, and he's never done that. He just keeps on escaping."

"Which is kind of a pointer that he's still evil. Plus, we don't bring them in unless they're up to something at the moment."

"Guess so." Bart tapped his fingers on the counter, so rapidly that Roy couldn't even make out the individual beats. "I guess I'll be going."

Roy glanced at his watch. "It's not nine yet, and that's eastern."

"I know but..." Bart's tapping seemed to speed up, if that was possible. "I just. I."

"If you tap any harder, you'll crack my counter."

"Sorry." Bart stopped and tucked his hands in his pockets. It was almost enough to tug Dick's jeans off his hips. "But if I'm back early tonight, Jay'll have no excuse for not letting me out again."

"Sure."

Bart was gone before Roy had finished speaking and he shook his head slowly. He wondered briefly who the kid had told about being gay but decided it wasn't any of his business. At least Bart had got an evening away from whoever it was.

Although, if it turned out to be Wally being an ass, Roy was going to have a word with him.

* * *

The next evening was Ron's night off and he'd gone on what Roy suspected was a date - suspicions fuelled by Ron's grin when he said he wouldn't be back till the morning.

Roy let Lian stay up until eight. She still objected to bed, even though she was practically asleep on his lap, but it was a form protest and she was asleep before he pulled the sheets up. He spent a few minutes just watching her sleep. It still seemed incredible that she was a real little _person_.

And, yeah, perhaps he was a sap. He figured it was allowed.

He cracked a beer before falling into the sofa, remote in hand. And, what the hell. It wasn't like he got the place pretty much to himself that often, so he keyed in the childlock PIN and called up the porn channels. He flicked through, trying to decide between nurses, schoolgirls and-

Construction workers.

He was pretty sure there wasn't gay porn the last time he'd had a chance to channel surf. But, hell, why not? The guy on the top looked a bit like Dick, which made it more interesting. Made it quite a bit more interesting, actually.

He was just getting into it when there was a knock at the door. He groaned and ran his hand over his hair. It wasn't fair. It really, really wasn't fair. There was another knock, so quick that the raps blurred into a single buzz and that meant it was probably Wally. And, to be fair, Wally needed a supportive shoulder at the moment, so Roy made the long journey to upright and walked over to open the door.

Only he had to look about a foot further down than he was expecting. "Hi," Bart said. "I brought Nightwing's clothes back."

"Thanks," Roy says and took them off him.

"So. Just brought them back. So you didn't have to explain anything." He shifted his weight. "I washed them."

"Thanks." Looked like things still weren't comfortable with whoever Bart was talking to and Roy had been appointed Official Shoulder. It was his own fault for not kicking Bart out last night. Roy held back a sigh and gestured towards the living room with his beer. "Wanna hang out for a bit?"

Bart was inside before Roy had finished speaking and it wasn't until Roy had shut the door and followed Bart through to the living room that he remembered he hadn't bothered to turn the TV off. Bart was staring at the screen, where the Dick lookalike was enthusiastically going down on an overmuscled bald guy.

Roy tried to figure out what would be a good thing to say at this point but his mind was completely blank.

Bart finally looked away from the screen. "Are you gay?" he asked and Roy winced.

Because... Well, it would be easy to explain if Bart was a bit older. But Bart was young enough to have the sort of stupidly romantic notions Roy had never been able to have and Roy didn't really want to puncture them. So he shrugged and said, "Bisexual, I suppose."

"I didn't know," Bart said. "I mean, everybody knows that you sleep around a lot but I'd only heard about the women."

"That's because it's only gossip if I sleep with somebody the cape and cowl set knows," Roy said. "If I pull a random chick - or guy - in a bar, it's not interesting."

"And there aren't a lot of gay superheroes," Bart said. "Have you slept with Piper?"

"Wally's friend? No."

Bart looked back at the screen and his eyes widened. "Um, you probably had plans, so I'm going to go."

And he was out - through - the door before Roy could say anything. Instead, he sighed and dropped into the sofa. The bald guy was gasping and moaning and it all looked so damn false that Roy turned the TV off.

Damn. Stupid kid.

* * *

Ron had been grinning when he asked Roy for an extra night off and Roy knew exactly what that kind of grin meant. So Ron was out getting well and truly laid while Roy had to pull the Stern Father act to get Lian into bed and it was an act he was never any good at. But Lian was finally tucked in and snoring gently and Roy was going to stay well away from the porn channels tonight.

There was probably a football game on. He'd completely lost track of the standings but it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy a game.

He'd just cracked his beer open when there was a knock on the door. He groaned. It was going to be Bart. He suspected it was going to be Bart until the kid had sorted out exactly what was going on in his life. So it was in Roy's interest to get to the point tonight. Perhaps a beer or two would do it.

Roy put his beer down and headed for the door. "Hey, Bart."

"Hi." Bart had his arms folded and he looked uncomfortable.

"Any reason for coming round?"

Bart looked at the floor. "No. Not really. Just." He shrugged.

"Come on in." Bart came in slower this time and it was only when he hung back to let Roy go into the living room first that Roy realised why. "I was settling in to watch a game. Want to join me?"

Bart uncrossed his arms and shrugged again. "Yeah. I mean, if you don't mind."

When had Bart started wearing muscle tees? Roy wondered absently. And when had he developed the muscles to go under them? "No problem. Just don't yell too loud because I can't face putting Lian to bed _again_ tonight."

Bart smiled slightly and perched on the edge of the sofa, arms crossed in front of him. "I'll be quiet," he said.

Roy narrowed his eyes as he looked at the kid and tried to figure out what was going on. Screw it, alcohol was always going to be the best truth serum. "Want a beer?"

Bart nodded quickly and Roy thought back to the time when an illicit beer had been the height of indulgence. Hadn't lasted very long for him but Bart was starting from a better place. If he could just sort out whatever was bugging him.

Roy grabbed another beer from the fridge, then scrounged in the cupboard for some Doritos and salsa. He knew about keeping speedsters fed.

Bart was still looking uncomfortable when Roy settled next to him. In somebody else, Roy might have been tempted to put it down to being uneasy about wearing such, well, _tight_ clothes but Bart spent most of his time running around in a spandex body suit. Jeans and a t-shirt were nothing in comparison.

"What's the game?" Bart asked.

"No idea," Roy said and grabbed the remote. "I don't even know for sure there is one." He flipped to ESPN. "Oh, college football. That okay by you?"

"Sure."

Roy watched in amusement as Bart reached out for his beer and took a first, tentative sip. Bart's convulsive expression of disgust was gone almost before Roy saw it but there was no ignoring the determination with which he took his next mouthful and promptly choked.

Roy leaned over to slap Bart on the back a few times. "Don't rush it. First beer?"

Bart didn't say anything for a moment, then quietly admitted, "Yeah."

"Everyone needs a first," Roy said and settled back with his own beer resting on his chest, condensation leaving a damp spot on his t-shirt.

Bart's glance lasted a second too long but Roy ignored it in favour of the tackles playing out on screen. Two beers at most, he figured, and Bart would be telling him what the problem was.

* * *

Roy wasn't quite sure when he'd run out of beer and opened the vodka. He was even less sure about when he'd opened the creme de menthe and had absolutely no idea where he'd got it from in the first place.

What he did know was that Bart was on the phone. "I'm staying with Roy tonight," he was saying. "Yeah, Arsenal." There was a frantic glance in Roy's direction, then Bart said, "Um, you can't speak to him right now. He's in the bathroom. But he says it's fine. We got watching football." Another nod and a, "Night, Jay," and Bart hung up.

"You should be drunk," Roy said. "I think you've had more to drink than me."

Bart shrugged. "Metabolism."

Oh. Yeah. He'd got so used to the idea that Wally didn't drink that he'd forgotten _why_. "I was planning on getting you drunk," Roy said.

Bart blinked at him a couple of times. "Why?"

"So you'd tell me what the problem is. I may not be the detective Batman is but I can tell there's something bugging you."

"Oh." Bart tipped over the back of the sofa and landed facing Roy. "I told Kon I'm gay."

"And he didn't take it well?"

"He coughed, nodded a couple of times then said he had to see somebody about a dog and I haven't managed to get him on his own since." Bart frowned. "I think he thinks I was going to hit on him. Which I wasn't because he's my best friend and you don't hit on your best friend."

It had never stopped Roy but he decided against sharing that particular nugget of wisdom. "He'll come around."

"I hope so." Bart sighed. "I mean. I just told him because I thought it was stupid to go to all the trouble of keeping a secret from him. I didn't think it was _worth_ keeping secret. But now I'm trying to figure out if I should." Bart took a sip of creme de menthe. "Why do you keep it quiet?"

"Me?" Roy tried to marshal his thoughts. "I don't. I mean, I don't actively try to but it just never seems to come up. I think I'm just labelled 'slut' so people don't bother looking any further than that."

"Are you a slut?" Bart asked seriously.

Roy stretched. "Depends what you consider a slut. I like sex and I don't see any point in being prudish about it."

"Are you fussy about your partners?"

"Fussy?" Roy looked at Bart and considered trying to figure out what Bart was leading up to.

"What do you look for?"

Roy shrugged. "Hot. Willing. Know it's just fun and nothing serious."

And then it became perfectly obvious what Bart was leading up to because Roy was on his back with Bart on top of him, kissing him with a lot of enthusiasm, if not a great deal of skill.

It took a few seconds for Roy to marshal the willpower to push Bart away. Enthusiasm was good, after all. "Hang on, hotshot."

Bart wriggled against him. "I'm willing and I know it's just fun. I'm not so sure about the hot, mind you."

Roy decided to plead the Fifth on that one. "Have you ever done _anything_ like this before?"

"Everyone needs a first. You said it yourself."

"I did?"

"About beer but it applies."

Roy frowned. "Are you drunk?"

"No. I don't think I _can_ get drunk without a lot of effort. I mean, if I can't be anaesthetised, I probably can't get drunk." Bart tilted his head. "I think I ought to test that at some point. It might be expensive, though."

Bart moved against him again and Roy thought it wasn't deliberate. Which... Well, if he was moving like that accidentally, things should be even better when he was actually _trying_ to turn Roy on. And, well, the kid was willing. And it was getting harder to think about anything beyond that.

Pretty much impossible to think about anything beyond that.

Roy settled his hands on Bart's hips and pulled him closer. Bart let out a gasp and his hips jerked a little. It felt good, so Roy smoothed his hand up Bart's back. He could feel the heat radiating out through the thin t-shirt and then his hand was on the back of Bart's neck and he leaned up and kissed Bart.

This time, Bart was a little more hesitant but his tongue was still so _fast_, flickering against Roy's teeth and the roof of his mouth. Roy closed his eyes and relaxed into the kiss. Oh yeah. Bart's reassuringly large hand was on his cheek, fingers tracing the line of his ear, and Roy took that as an invitation to bury his hand in Bart's hair and make the kiss that little bit deeper.

Bart whimpered into his mouth and his hips jerked again, so Roy moved his hand from Bart's hip to his ass and that made Bart _grind_ against him, which was even hotter. Bart's jeans really were indecently tight, which meant he could feel every little flex of muscle and he wasn't going to complain about that.

Roy felt like he could lie here all night, just kissing. He hadn't felt that for years and it was strangely comforting. He pulled Bart up a little and Bart rolled his hips in a way that should have taken years to learn and made Roy lose his breath.

Roy pulled Bart's hair slightly and, as if in response, Bart's legs fell open so he was almost straddling Roy's hips and that brought everything together in a slightly different way that felt even better and suddenly, bed became more important.

Roy broke the kiss. "Want to move through to my bedroom?" he asked.

Bart's lips were swollen and red and his eyes were wide. "Yeah," he said quietly.

"You know I won't be mad if you say no to anything?" Roy said and Bart smiled.

"I know."

"Good." Roy rolled to the side and Bart slid upright. Roy flicked the TV off before letting Bart pull him to his feet. Roy didn't let go of Bart's hand, tugging him gently towards his bedroom. "Come on."

The bed was big. Not out of any practical consideration because he didn't bring people back here that often - he had Lian to think about - but simply because the room was big. He _liked_ his salary from the Outsiders. But not quite as much as he liked the way Bart tackled him and sent him sprawling backwards on to the bed. Especially when Bart then crawled up his body and kissed him as though it was a specially devised battle tactic.

Bart had both hands on Roy's face, holding him still, and that meant Roy had both hands free to hold Bart's ass and he was starting to wonder how Bart had managed to get into those jeans in the first place, never mind how he was managing to carry on wearing them when they must be crippling him.

So Roy was being entirely selfless in tackling the button flies. Judging by the way Bart's dick sprang out, it had been an act of mercy. And the confirmation that Bart had gone commando was completely unnecessary.

Roy wrapped his hand round Bart's dick and pumped slowly. Bart's eyes shot open and now it was Roy's turn to make Bart struggle for breath. Bart was shaking so hard that Roy rolled him on to his back.

Bart stared at Roy as though he had the answer to every question Bart could ever consider asking. It was a good feeling, so Roy swiped his thumb over the head of Bart's dick and grinned as Bart quivered.

And then it was just natural to lean down and lick from the head of Bart's dick right down to his balls. To spend some quality time licking around the base before moving back up. And he was planning on giving Bart the best - okay, first - blowjob of his life but Bart gasped and whimpered and his fists clenched as he came. And - whoops - spattered semen over his own shirt.

"I guess I should have got you naked first," Roy said.

Bart blinked up at him and gave a dazed grin. "Wow. No wonder you sleep around."

"Better with somebody else, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Bart reached up and pulled Roy down into another kiss.

Now Bart's hands were stealing up under Roy's t-shirt, rubbing over his back, and it felt pretty damn good. But, thinking of the greater good, Roy managed to pull away for long enough to drag his own t-shirt over his head and then start to work on peeling Bart's off him.

"Hang on," Bart said and suddenly his jeans and shirt were gone. Roy couldn't be bothered waiting for the clothes to hit the floor before he'd pulled Bart back on top of him and was kissing him again.

So fast. Bart's tongue, his hands, the movements of his body, all so fast; touches light enough that Roy thought he might go insane before he got to come.

Then, just as insanity was edging worryingly close, Bart lifted up enough to unfasten Roy's jeans and push them down and now Bart's hands were on Roy's dick and, fuck, there was no way Roy could last through this, no _fucking_ way. His head was thrashing on the pillow, his mouth open wide and he let out a high-pitched whimper as his orgasm rushed through him, a torrent of white heat emptying his lungs and mind.

When he eventually managed to open his eyes, Bart was looking down at him. "Was that okay?" Bart asked.

The only way Roy could answer was to reach up with shaky hands and pull Bart down into a kiss. And, impossible though it was, there was no mistaking the weight against Roy's belly. He pulled back and raised his eyebrows.

Bart grinned. "Metabolism," he said.

Roy let his arms flop back down on to the bed. "Lucky bastard." He groaned. "Damn, I need to get my jeans off."

"Here," Bart said and Roy managed to lift his hips enough for Bart to pull his jeans and boxers off and then Bart was back on top of him, and the kissing was heating up again. Roy buried one hand in Bart's hair and rested the other on his ass as Bart thrust against him. And that...

Oh, man, he really had had too much to drink, considering what he was thinking. But, Bart's first time. Might as well make it a _proper_ first time.

Roy bit Bart's lip and Bart pulled back, eyes wide. "Hmm?"

"Wanna fuck me?" Roy said and watched Bart's eyes get even wider.

"Yes!" Bart said and Roy grinned.

"Take it you've got an idea of the theory?"

"Course. Where's the lube and condoms? Have you got any? I can go get some if you haven't. Won't take me lo-"

"Slow down, I've got them." Roy wriggled on to his side and stretched to jerk open the top drawer of his bedside cabinet. The tube of KY was nearly empty and he made a mental note to pick up some more. He tossed it to Bart, along with a condom. "There you go."

Bart's hands were trembling, just a little, as he ripped open the packet.

"Here," Roy said and took the condom from him. "Probably easiest if I do it." Bart shut his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. "Relax," Roy said and kissed him. "With your metabolism, I'm guessing it really doesn't matter if you pop again before we get started, right?"

Bart managed a shaky smile. "Not really."

"So no need to worry."

"Unless I hurt you or something."

"I'm a big boy," Roy said. "I've been hurt before and survived." He ignored Bart's gaze on his chest as he rolled the condom on, then smeared lube on Bart's fingers. "You know what to do, right?"

Bart frowned thoughtfully. "Last time I did something based purely on theory, it all kind of exploded. Literally. So could you show me?"

Oh, fuck. Bart probably didn't _mean_ that to be quite as hot as it had come out. Roy swallowed. "Sure." He rolled on to his back and spread his legs. "Give me your hand." The first tentative brush of Bart's fingers made Roy shiver.

"Is that okay?" Bart asked.

"Here." Roy pressed Bart's hand harder against himself. "That's it. Give me a finger. Push." He gasped as Bart obeyed. "Oh, yeah. Deeper." He was sweating, grinning as Bart pushed in further. "That's it. Good. Oh, fuck, yes." He couldn't help biting his lip, pushing his head back into his pillow. "Faster."

"Look at me," Bart said.

"Another finger."

"_Look_ at me."

Roy did and then wondered how he'd managed to look away in the first place. "Another finger."

Bart licked his lips as he obeyed and Roy let out a shuddering breath. "Is this right?" Bart asked.

"Fuck, _yes_." And it got even more right when Bart smiled. "Put the lube on your dick. Lots." And it meant Bart pulling his fingers out, which made Roy moan and lift his hips. "Hurry _up_."

"Am doing," Bart said and his hand was a blur as he spread the jelly over his dick. "Wanna fuck you."

"Now," Roy said. "_Now_." And then Bart was settling between his legs and Roy was guiding his dick in and- "Harder." Roy grabbed Bart's ass and pulled him in and it made Bart whimper and then Roy looked at Bart and Bart's eyes were wide and he was trembling and Roy's stomach curled. "You okay?"

"Yes." Bart was struggling for breath. "So. So good. So tight." His hips bucked under Roy's grip, driving into Roy and Roy gasped. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

And Roy didn't want to be thanked so he pulled Bart's head down and kissed him and Bart's hands were on his face, throat, shoulders, chest, in his hair, and Bart was thrusting into him, tiny, desperate little movements as Bart whimpered into Roy's mouth and all Roy could do was hold him closer, tighter until Bart collapsed into him, shivering as his orgasm rolled through him.

Roy buried his nose in Bart's hair. "You okay?" he said after a moment.

"Thank you," Bart said.

Roy's smile faded.

"Thank you," Bart repeated.

"Best if we get cleaned up a bit," Roy said.

* * *

Roy woke to discover Bart was a cuddler. Not normally a problem, except it meant that Roy's morning hard-on was right up against Bart's and, oh fuck, Bart was already awake and smiling at him.

"No time," Roy said, rolling out of bed and grabbing a robe. "What time do you have to be at school?" School. Fuck. _School._

"I don't. It's a superintendent's conference day."

"Oh." Roy ran his hand over his hair. "What time's Jay expecting you back?"

Bart shrugged and pulled the duvet further up his body. "He isn't. I said I'd go straight to the Tower."

"Right." Roy's confusion was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

"Roy? It's me."

Ron. Ron was back. That was good.

Except that Bart was still naked and that meant Ron being back was _bad_.

"Ron? Could you get Lian off to school? I'm due in."

"Sure."

And that meant Roy was left staring at Bart. Who wasn't naked any more. Which was a relief. A _huge_ relief.

"I'd better get off to the Tower," Bart said, fiddling with his ring.

"Yeah," Roy said, too quickly. "I mean, they're probably expecting you. And I've got to get in." It was incredible how seedy jeans and a t-shirt could look in the light of a morning-after. "Look, Bart."

Bart looked up.

"I mean, I did say something, didn't I? About this being nothing serious?"

Bart nodded. "Yeah."

"Right." Roy caught himself on the edge of telling Bart not to say anything to anyone. Only, could he come off as any _more_ of a creepy paedophile?

Bart grinned. "Don't worry, Roy. I had fun but I'm not going to suddenly start buying you flowers or anything."

Roy managed to keep his sickly smile until Bart hugged him. "You'd better get off," Roy said.

"Sure," Bart said and he was gone.

Roy sagged on to the bed. Fuck. He was _never_ drinking again.

* * *

"Okay, Bart," Gar said. "What have you done?"

"Huh?" Bart asked.

"This cheerful act." Gar tilted his head. "I mean, you're _always_ too cheerful to be completely sane but... What have you done?"

"Oh." Bart turned back to his video game. "I had sex last night." He looked up again as Gar choked. "What?"

It took a few minutes for Gar to start breathing normally again. "_Jeez_, Bart, warn a guy if you're going to pull a joke like that. I believed you for a moment."

"But I _did_ have sex. It was great."

"Sure. So who did you screw?"

"Roy."

Gar turned into a hyena and laughed madly. "Roy _Harper? Arsenal_? Man, whatever drugs you took, I want some."

"I didn't take any drugs." Bart thought about it. "Actually, I did have quite a lot of alcohol but I don't think it affected me. I don't see how it could have. It might have affected Roy, though."

"Whoa." Gar resumed his human form. "You're serious about this? You actually had sex with Arsenal?"

Bart blinked. "Why would I lie about it?"

"Well... Yeah." Gar ran his hand through his hair. "Man, Bart. You couldn't have told Vic or Kory or somebody, could you? It'd have to be me."

Bart shrugged and sent his fighter leaping across the screen. "I'll tell Vic or Kory if you want. Don't see why you think it's a big deal, though."

* * *

"So, Vic, what do we do?" Gar finished.

Vic's fingers tightened on the desk, hard enough that he left dents.

"Because I don't think it's our job to hunt Roy down and slaughter him, if that's what you're thinking."

Vic took a deep breath. "No. But it _is_ Wally's."

"So we tell Wally?"

"Damn right we do."

* * *

Roy went flying across the room.

"Dude!" Grace said, voice filled with admiration. "I don't know who you are but that was _sweet_."

Roy wiped the blood out of his eyes in time to see Wally vibrate to a standstill.

"Oh, Flash." Grace said. "We're honoured by the presence of one of the big name boys."

"I'm not here for work," Wally said, voice hard. "I'm here to speak to Arsenal."

"If you're going to beat the crap out of him, can I watch?"

Roy spat blood. "No."

Wally was still watching Roy. "No."

"Spoilsports."

"Leave," Wally said.

Grace sighed. "Okay, okay, consider me gone."

Wally waited until the doors hissed shut behind her, then grabbed Roy's shirt and heaved him upright, slamming him against the wall.

Roy swallowed. "Look, Wally."

"_Don't_ speak."

Roy shut his eyes. "Just beat the crap out of me, okay? I deserve it."

Wally's grip tightened. "I told you to shut up. You're not helping yourself. My _cousin_. My _four-year-old_ cousin. What the _fuck_ were you thinking? _Were_ you thinking?"

Roy let his head drop forward. "No, I wasn't thinking. I was drunk and he came on to me and- Fuck, I'm _sorry_."

He was expecting the right hook and rolled with it as much as he could. "That's _not_ good enough."

"I know." He spat more blood and tested his teeth with his tongue. Still solid. "But nothing is." Left hook this time and Roy was sorry Wally was up too close to do more damage. "I fucked up and I'm _sorry_."

"Were you even going to _tell_ me?"

"I hadn't decided."

"Why? Why _him_? He's just a _kid_!"

"I was drunk."

Wally stepped back, spun and his foot connected with Roy's thigh, close enough to his groin to be a warning. "That is _not_ an answer."

Roy staggered and only just managed to stay upright. "I was _drunk_ and he came on to me."

"He's a _kid_." Another kick, aimed at Roy's knee.

Roy spat blood again. "He's a year younger than Argent, if that. And don't tell me you never looked at _her_."

"There's a difference between looking and-" Wally's lip curled in disgust and his punch was close enough to Roy's throat that Roy collapsed, coughing.

"I know. And I'm _sorry_." Another kick and Roy was pretty sure that one had fractured his collarbone.

"I'd say you should be apologising to Bart, not me, but if you go _near_ him again, you'll wish I'd killed you this time."

Roy rested his head against the wall. "I know. I'm sorry."

Wally was suddenly kneeling in front of him, hands wrapped in Roy's top. "I swear. You lay one finger on him again and I-" Wally bit his lip. "_Fuck_ you."

And he was gone.

Roy wiped blood from his mouth and decided it could have gone worse.

He looked up to find Grace studying him. She opened her mouth, then raised her hand. "Forget it. I don't _want_ to know what you did to get him so pissed."

Roy closed his eyes and sagged back against the wall.

* * *

Roy wasn't quite sure why Grace was sticking around but he suspected it was out of hope that Wally would reappear and beat him up again. She'd been full of admiration for his cuts and bruises. "Never had the Flash down as being so good at this kind of stuff. Hey, is your collarbone fractured? That's seriously cool."

Whatever. It meant Grace was lounging in a chair and keeping a vague eye on the monitors, so he didn't have to.

"Jeez," Grace said. "Are we turning into Flash Central today or something?"

And that made him look up because- Oh, fuck. Bart. Twitching in place and grinning sheepishly up at the cameras. At least he hadn't zipped straight in. This way, Roy had a chance to hide. Only, not _enough_ of a chance because Grace was hitting buttons and then Bart was right _there_.

"Wow!" Bart said. "What happened to you? Who were you fighting? Was it Gorilla Grodd again? Or somebody even stronger?"

Grace sniggered. "It was your _boss_, kid."

"I don't have a boss. Well, maybe Jay but - why would Jay beat up Roy?"

Roy thought he should probably be offended that Bart had no doubt Jay _could_ beat him up.

Grace leaned back and ostentatiously raised an eyebrow. "Hello? You're Kid Flash, which would kind of make Flash your boss? The whole sidekick thing."

"I am _not_ a sidekick," Bart said indignantly. "I never even work with Wally, so I can't be a sidekick."

"Whatever." Grace yawned. "Are you going to beat Roy up, too?"

"Hey," Roy protested. "I _let_ Wally." And, yeah, probably not the best thing to say because now Bart was looking at him, confused and worried in equal measures. "Um, Grace? Could you...?"

"Fuck off and leave you alone with the speedster? Sure, sure." She looked at Bart. "But try not to break him too badly - I've got plans for him tonight."

"You have?" Roy asked.

"Sure." Grace's grin was probably too dirty for a fifteenish-year-old to see. "The idea of you being beaten up turns me on."

The door hissed shut behind her and Roy blinked. Whoa.

"Why did you let Wally beat you up?" Bart demanded.

Roy shut his eyes. If he told Bart the truth, the kid would probably end up blaming himself. He opened his eyes again. "He needed to let out some tension. It was safest for him to let it out on me."

"Oh." Bart studied him suspiciously. "It wasn't very nice of him." The suspicion faded. "But Wally isn't very nice."

Roy kept his laugh small because otherwise it hurt his ribs. "You here for a reason?"

"Oh, yeah." All suspicion vanished and Bart beamed at him. "I just wanted to let you know that me and Kon talked and he knows I don't _like_ him like him and we're cool now."

Hey, something good had come of this. Roy wondered if he could convince Wally of that. If he could convince _himself_ of that. He smiled. "That's great."

"Yeah." Bart twitched in place. "Anyway, I need to get back to the Tower. But - do you want me to speak to Wally? And get him to apologise for beating you up because I know he's an ass but he probably would feel guilty if he knew how bad he'd hurt you."

"No!" Roy swallowed. "I mean, it's okay. We're cool."

"Okay. See you!" And Bart was gone.

Roy sagged into his chair and rested his head on his hand. He was never drinking again. He was never having sex again.

"Yo, Royboy," Grace said. "I've got some Wicked Ale in for tonight."

Roy lifted his head and looked at Grace. Okay. He was doing both. Tonight.


	2. Timestamp meme - OYL

When Roy opened his apartment door, he didn't have a clue who it was standing there.

"I'm not buying anything," Roy said, and wiped his hands on the dishtowel he was carrying.

The man blinked. "I'm not selling anything."

They stared at each other for a long moment before it clicked. "Bart? Are you time-travelling?"

Bart gave a snuffle of laughter and glanced away. "Not exactly. I kind of..." He shrugged. "I grew up. I thought you might have heard."

"Yeah." Roy picked at the hem on the dishtowel. "I'm still catching up on the news - lot of people to check on, y'know?" There was no reason to feel guilty, damn it. It wasn't as though he was *close* to Bart. "I heard about Superboy. I'm sorry."

Bart shrugged again and kicked at his own heel. "I just. I've got nobody to talk to and I probably shouldn't unload on you because last time it all went kind of wrong for you and I honestly truly am sorry Wally actually got protective for once because I really didn't think he would."

Roy watched Bart as he shifted uncomfortably.

"So," Bart said, "I should probably go." He didn't make a move.

"Probably," Roy said but he stepped back and held the door open in invitation.

Bart relaxed, lines of tension around his mouth and eyes fading away. "Thanks," he said softly, and stepped inside.


End file.
